


Something More

by VeryMauk_aGast



Series: Sneaking Around the Xhorhouse [4]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Caleb Widogast Deserves Nice Things, Fjord Deserves Nice Things, Fluff, Forehead Kisses, Happy Room, Love Confessions, M/M, Slow Dancing, Soft Boys, Tenderness, Xhorhouse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-29 02:33:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19820743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VeryMauk_aGast/pseuds/VeryMauk_aGast
Summary: Fjord’s melody fades into silence. Caleb’s eyes flutter shut as Fjord leans in to press a soft kiss to his forehead. It’s so tender it hurts.“Fjord,” he whispers reverently.There’s another beat of silence before Fjord speaks. “Caleb, I think I’m in love with you.” It’s quiet. It’s honest. It’s everything he wanted to hear.





	Something More

It’s late in the evening. 1:34 am to be precise. The candle he lit has burned down significantly, but still gives off a warm flickering light in the darkness. Most of the Mighty Nein have been asleep for a couple hours. Fjord is on the verge of sleep as well. Caleb glances away from the book in his left hand to where his right hand is repetitively stroking through Fjord’s hair. His head is heavy against Caleb’s thigh, a pleasant, warm weight there to remind Caleb that this is home. Caleb’s fingers wander from their current path to ghost over Fjord’s cheek affectionately. Fjord sighs and presses his face instinctively closer to the touch. It makes Caleb smile. 

“I think it’s time we go to bed, _liebling_ ,” he whispers.

Fjord grumbles a bit with a huff. “But I’m awful comfy right here.”

“You will be more comfortable in your bed.” 

There’s a pause. It feels heavy in the silence of the house. It almost feels a bit sad to Caleb. The flitting look on Fjord’s face looks something a little bit like yearning. At least Caleb likes to think that’s what it was. “Yeah. S’pose you’re right.”

“I usually am,” Caleb teases, trying to lighten things again. 

Fjord rolls his eyes as he heaved himself upwards into a sitting position on the couch. It’s been merely two seconds, and Caleb already misses Fjord’s presence pressing into his leg. “Fine,” he says rising to his feet and stretching his arms over his head with a yawn. “C’mon, bookworm. You need sleep too,” he says offering his hand to Caleb. 

Caleb shuts the book he was reading and places it carefully onto the table beside him to take Fjord’s hand. He expects Fjord to let him go as soon as Caleb stands up, but that doesn’t happen. Golden-yellow eyes peer at him intensely as Fjord draws Caleb’s hand up towards his face. 

There’s a hesitant ghost of warm air over the skin of his knuckles before Fjord brushes his lips sweetly over his skin. It’s so soft. So kind. And Caleb doesn’t think he deserves it in the slightest. 

“Such a gentleman,” Caleb breathes, his cheeks heating up. 

Fjord chuckles, and pulls Caleb’s wrist to drape lightly over his shoulder and around Fjord’s neck. “That’s mighty kind, considering the dirty things I like to do to you,” he purrs into Caleb’s ear.

Caleb can’t help but shudder as a warm feeling of arousal slips down his spine. “Fair...”

Fjord pulls his arms around Caleb’s waist to draw him closer as Caleb links his other arm around the half-orc’s neck. Neither one moves for a moment, and then Fjord starts to sway gently. 

Caleb can feel the vibrations against his chest an instant before the sound hits his ears. Fjord is humming. Caleb lets himself sway with Fjord as his friend hums a slow, soft melody. It’s nothing Caleb’s ever heard before. The lilting ups and downs of the notes is perfectly suited for the timbre of Fjord’s vocals. A perfect lullaby. 

Caleb loses himself in the quiet intimacy of the moment. He locks away the feeling of Fjord’s arms around his waist. Locks in the melody of the song, and the scent of a crisp sea breeze and warm cedar that always accompanies Fjord. Seeing those warm golden eyes locked so seriously on his own makes him feel like there’s absolutely nothing in the world but the man embracing him. He doesn’t want to forget a single detail.

After approximately three minutes, Fjord’s melody fades into silence. Caleb’s eyes flutter shut as Fjord leans in to press a soft kiss to his forehead. It’s so tender it hurts. 

“Fjord,” he whispers reverently. 

There’s another beat of silence before Fjord speaks. “Caleb, I think I’m in love with you.” It’s quiet. It’s honest. It’s everything he wanted to hear. 

Caleb’s heart leaps and flutters in his chest. He doesn’t understand why, and doesn’t deserve it, but he’s too selfish to deny himself the one thing his heart aches for. Words don’t come. There’s so much he wants to say, but his mind can’t manage to create them. 

All he could do was move his jaw up and down a couple of times, slight breaths escaping instead of words. Fjord didn’t say anything more. His eyes look a little sad when Caleb doesn’t respond. “It’s okay, Caleb,” he says softly as he strokes a thumb over Caleb’s cheek. “You don’t have to say anything.”

“Fjord...” His voice wavers. The words are thick with the weight of the affection in his heart, “th-the, uh, feeling is mutual, Fjord.” It’s as close as he can get to actually speaking the words right at this moment. 

Fjord sighs with what sounds like relief and content, and his face lights up. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day,” he rumbles. 

Caleb’s eyes flutter shut as he leans into the solid presence of Fjord.

“Will you stay with me tonight?” Fjord asks quietly.

“ _Ja_ , of course.”

“Good. Let’s get some shut eye,” he says, taking Caleb’s hand to lead him a couple doors over into his room. 

After a few moments, they’re huddled together in Fjord’s bed. Miles of bare skin presses against Caleb’s as Fjord wraps him in a tight embrace. Their kisses are languid tonight. No hunger or rush. Instead, there’s only quiet adoration and soft intimacy. It’s peaceful. It’s a peace that Caleb hasn’t known in years. To feel so safe, to feel so loved and cared for… It’s truly breathtaking. 

Eventually Fjord drifts into sleep with his face nestled into the hollow of Caleb’s throat. Caleb takes a moment to reflect. Fjord said that he is in love with Caleb. And it he meant it. Truly and sincerely. And here they were, together. No mention of what the others might think, no fretting about how to not get caught. After sleeping together for god knows how long, they’ve finally evolved into something more. Something real. 

  
It’s wonderful. It’s refreshing, and it’s also terrifying. Caleb’s not sure how this will end, but based on tonight’s beginning, the small, fluttering pulse of hope in his chest tells him that it will be worth it. In the quiet peace and stillness of the night, in the warm bask of his newfound relationship, Caleb takes a moment to kiss the top of Fjord’s head lightly so he doesn’t wake him. With that, he finally finds the words he couldn’t manage earlier. “ _Ich liebe dich_. Always.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I really appreciate you all indulging my fluffy musings :) 
> 
> Comments and kudos give me Bardic Inspiration, and are always very appreciated. Much love everyone! <3


End file.
